OLYMPIC gold medalist and former Fiji 7s player Semi Kunatani is out with his McDonald’s Mike Friday Select 7s team with a key mission; take each game as it comes.
And as runners-up last year, the urge to do so comes at an even greater time as the McDonalds Coral Coast Fiji 7s kicks off at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka today.
Over the next three days, the team will face the fierceness of local and international teams, all gunning for an opportunity to dethrone the team of their winning title. ”The team faced the national sevens team last year and there are a lot of expectations on where the team will reach however in preparing ourselves for this tournament, we will take each game as it comes,” Kunatani told Times Sport.
”We are not going to look right towards the final however we will play each game at a time as it goes and the boys will set out to carry out the work we intend to do in the next three days.”
According to Kunatani, preparations for the team have been ongoing since some players were overseas however once they flew in to Fiji earlier this week, it went up another notch.
”The boys (overseas-based) players reached here and we were able to carry out training together and the local players had a chance to connect with the boys that came from overseas and now we are waiting to run out onto the field for our first match tomorrow (today).”
As the tournament kicks off today, Kunatani had a message to deliver to rugby supporters far and wide to convene at Lawaqa Park and cheer them on and witness rugby mania unfold.
“Kerekere ga kivei keda na lewe I Viti, vei kemuni beka o ni sebera ni lako mai ena (McDonalds) Coral Coast (Fiji 7s), au kila ni na tabaka ga ena TV, ia e vinaka ga mo ni gole sobu mai mo ni vakadinadina taka.
(I kindly ask the people of Fiji, those of you who have never been to the McDonalds Coral Coast Fiji 7s, I know it has always been shown on television (TV) but it would be best if you came down to witness it yourself.)
“E free nai curucuru, ni gole mai ko mo ni vakadinadinataka na veitimi lelevu era tu qo.
(Entry is free, just come and witness the major teams that will be here.)
“E levu qo o raici ira cake tu ga ena TV; o ira na qito I valagi. Oqo o ni raici ira saraga matanavotu. Ni gole mai vakalelevu, ni mai sarava na (McDonalds) Coral Coast (Fiji) 7s ena yabaki 2026.”
(Many of these players you have only seen on TV, especially the international ones. This time, you get to see them in person so come down in large numbers and witness the McDonalds Coral Coast Fiji 7s for the year 2026.)
The tournament continues tomorrow with the finals set for Saturday.
